My Best Friend
by eighteen inches
Summary: Various unconnected oneshots/drabbles of Harry and Hermione's friendship. iii: Even with a war raging on and Ron disappearing in the night, Hermione felt happy that she at least still had Harry for now.
1. Scared

AN: Written for the 'Favorite Friendship Boot Camp Challenge,' the 'Non-romantic love competition,' and the 'Friendship Competition," on HPFC.

Disclaimer: It's not mine, ob—vious—ly

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Promise

Hermione lay on her back on the large, comfy bed that stood just underneath the window, in one of the extra bedrooms of Shell cottage. She was exhausted from the day that she'd had. As if being tortured wasn't bad enough, she also had a chandelier fall on her, according to Ron. She couldn't help but worry about what might happened if Harry and Ron hadn't gotten to her in time. Would she be dead?

_No! _She yelled at herself mentally. She couldn't afford to think like that. Not with everything that was happening in the Wizarding World. She had to stay strong, and keep her emotions in check if she were to concentrate on what needed to be done. But, they were just a few injuries. That was to be expected for being on the run at a time like this. She knew what she was getting into when she agreed to go with Harry.

A knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts. She closed her eyes for a moment; she really didn't want people bothering her right now. But, she figured, if she got it over with, maybe they'd go away.

"Come in," she was barely audible. She could hardly talk anymore since being tortured. She was too weak and just didn't care to speak much louder than a whisper.

She heard the door open, footsteps as someone came into the room and the door closing.

"Hermione, are you alright?" a familiar voice asked.

Hermione turned her gaze from the window to stare at Harry, she shook her head. "Does it look like I'm okay?"

Harry walked closer to her, "Alright, so maybe that was a stupid question."

Hermione shook her head, "No, it was just a question with an obvious answer." She turned back to look out the window at the waves crashing on the shore below. She pushed herself to sit up in a sitting position, against the pain that she felt in her lower back. She reached over and pushed the window open to allow the salty sea air to enter the room, and her lungs. The smell was sweet and relaxing to her. She sighed in content as her muscles slowly started loosening.

"It's just been a long day," Hermione said, after a while. She crawled down the end of the bed to be closer to the window. She watched as a seagull flying overhead outside. She felt the bed sag a little as Harry sat down beside her. She felt Harry placed his hands on both of her shoulders. "I wish it hadn't happened, though."

"Things that we don't like happen and sometimes we just have to deal with them," Harry told her, he sighed, heavily. "No matter how much we wish we didn't."

Hermione nodded, "I know…I just hate it."

"I promise you, I'll never let anyone else hurt you." Harry said, firmly. He started massaging her shoulders.

Hermione gave a small smile, "And I love you for that Harry; how you're always here for me if I need you…You're the best friend a person could have."

"I say the same thing about you, Hermione." Harry replied, "If it weren't for you, I don't know if I'd even be standing here today."

"And if it wasn't for you and Ron, I would probably be dead because of Bellatrix," Hermione said.

A comfortable moment of silence passed between the two of them before Harry decided to break it, "You know, we shouldn't dwell on the what ifs…it's not going to get us anywhere. And right now, we should be focusing on the future." A moment of silence passed before he spoke again, "I've come to realize that the past is the past, you can't change it…If you could, maybe, just maybe, Sirius and Dobby wouldn't be dead…It's not good to dwell over something that you can't change."

Hermione nodded in agreement, "You're right."

"And if I have to, I'll kill Bellatrix myself," Harry stated. Hermione could hear the anger in his voice and knew he was serious.

"Don't do anything you'll regret, Harry."

"After what she did to you, she deserves it," Harry stated, letting his hands fall from her shoulders, clenching his fist.

Hermione glanced over at him and saw that his knuckles were slowly turning white. She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his, massaging his hands, until he slowly unclenched his hands.

"Harry, don't stress over this," Hermione told him as his hand slowly started gaining color.

"I can't help it, Hermione," Harry replied, "what Bellatrix did to you, while I was stuck in that cellar, not able to help you..." he shook his head, "I'll never forgive myself."

"You can't blame yourself for something that you had no control over." Hermione tried to comfort him.

Harry turned his attention from Hermione to look out the window at the crashing waves, "Hermione, _I'm_ the one who said _his_ name and got the snatchers to show up…if it weren't for me, none of us would've been anywhere near Malfoy Manor."

"Like you said, Harry, we should be focusing on the future."

"I just can't help but hate myself over this."

Hermione shook her head, "It's _not_ your fault, Harry. No matter how much you think it is, it's not. You didn't force Bellatrix to torture me, or carve the _word_ into my inner arm, so don't take the blame for it."

Harry sighed, "It'll take me a while to get over it…"

"It's going to take all of us a while to get over it, especially me…And I appreciate everything you'd do for me."

"You're one of my best friends, Hermione," Harry told her, "I'd go to the ends of the Earth for you. I love you; you're like the sister I never had."

Hermione smiled, "Thank you. And I was about to say the same thing about you."

"I'm the sister you never had?" Harry asked.

"No," Hermione replied, playfully shoving him, "You're like the brother I never had…You know things about me that others don't, and we've been through so much together. Not very many people would understand the type of connection that we have; not even Ron, actually."

Harry nodded, "That's right." He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

Hermione rested her head against his shoulder, "I don't know what I'd do without you, Harry."

Harry rubbed soothing circles on her back, "It's a good thing we have each other, otherwise, I don't think we'd be here today."

"They say the past defines who you are," Hermione murmured against his shoulder, "and everything that's happened to us must have been for a reason. Those things have made us who we are today, and I don't think I would change that."

Harry nodded in agreement.

Hermione was slowly starting to feel sleepy and her eyelids became heavier and heavier. She tried to fight it, because she didn't want to have to face the nightmares, she knew would come. She didn't want to relive her torture; she knew she would if she closed her eyes. But, with the soothing sounds of the waves and the cool breeze, she couldn't fight it for very long. And with Harry's promise that he'd never let anyone else hurt her, she felt safe and secure enough for sleep that she most desperately would need.

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AN: Well, there you are(: I just love the brotherly, sisterly love these two have. They really care about each other, and no, they're not in love, nor will they ever be. They are friends, nothing more.

Thanks for reading(: I hope you enjoyed it. So, leave a review maybe?


	2. Afraid

AN: Written for the 'Flower of Harmione competition.' I was given the song Breathe Again, by Sara Barilles. This was it's own story in the beginning, but I also saw that it kind of fit in with the Favorite Friendship Boot Camp Challenge with that light use of the prompt, afraid, so I've moved it to that collection.

Oh, and the whole things about the moon reflecting on the water, it's kind of hard to explain but it looks gorgeous when you see it in person.

_Left hoping someday, I'll breathe again_

_Open up next to you, my secrets become your truth_

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Hermione sat in the far corner of her temporary bedroom at the cottage, knowing that they probably wouldn't be there for very long. Her head was titled some as she looked out the window. The window stood open, allowing the salty sea air to be blown into her room, relaxing her muscles. She sat with her knees pulled up to her chest, with her head settled on top of her knees and her arms wrapped around her legs.

The moon was high in the sky; shining brightly and reflecting off the water, making it look absolutely beautiful and easy to see the waves as they crashed against the shore, even though it was night time.

For the past couple of days, she couldn't sleep, she could barely eat; her mind was preoccupied at the moment. Every time she would close her eyes, all she saw was _her_ face and the enjoyment she got out of torturing her. Hermione felt a tear began to slide down her face and she quickly wiped it away.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," her voice was barely above a whisper and she wondered if the person had even heard her.

Her question was answered when, in the next second, the door opened and Harry walked inside. He closed the door behind him, "I saw the light was on."

"Its fine," Hermione said, her voice still low. For the past couple of days, it had been hard for to muster up enough strength to speak louder than a whisper.

"Are you alright?" he asked her, although he knew the answer already. She wasn't alright; none of them were, not really.

Hermione closed her eyes and shook her head. She heard footsteps and knew Harry was slowly making his way over to where she sat.

"Bellatrix?" he said as more of a statement than a question.

Hermione nodded. "I can't sleep because of her…every time I try…it's like I'm back in Malfoy Manor…and I can't believe how lucky I am to be alive right now." She turned to look at him."I'm freaking out Harry. Of course, it doesn't look like it on the outside; but inside, I'm freaking out.

"What if this is all a dream?" she went on. "What if none of this is real…and I'll wake up, still trapped there in that horrid place?" she took a deep breath. "I haven't told anyone else this; but, I'm honestly Afraid, Harry. Afraid of what the outcome of this war is going to be, and what could happen when Bellatrix gets her hands on me again. She'll kill me next time."

"Don't be," he said as he placed an arm around her shoulder. "It's over with, you're here and you're perfectly safe…Ron and I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Hermione gave a small smile. "And that's why I love you two; you're my best friends."

Harry started rubbing soothing circles on Hermione's arm. "And we'll make sure Bellatrix doesn't lay another hand on you."

Hermione gave another small smile. "And I thank you for that." Her gaze drifted from Harry back to look out the window. The gently rocking of the waves was enough to calm her again.

They stayed like that, Hermione sitting and staring out the window; and Harry, standing with his arm around her, for a while in silence. It was quite a comfortable silence for Hermione, not like the tension filled silence at Malfoy Manor in between rounds of her torturing.

"You know," she spoke. "I hope that one day, when this is all over, that I'll be able to calm down and not feel like I have to look over my shoulder all the time…I feel…like, I'm trapped in a small room with no doors or windows and very little air."

"You shouldn't have to go through this along," Harry told her. "You have me and Ron…and I'll be here whenever you feel the need to talk."

"Thank you, Harry." She stood up and turned to face him. "For everything."

"It's just advice, Hermione."

"And if you and Ron hadn't run into the drawing room at Malfoy Manor, who knows what would've happened," Hermione told him, "and I shouldn't be allowing myself to think about the what-ifs; but, I just can't help it."

"The what-ifs don't matter…All that matters is, that we're away from there and you're safe from Bellatrix."

Hermione nodded. "Yeah, you're right."

Hermione took a deep breath as she closed her eyes for a moment. Hopefully, in time, once all of this chaos is over with, she'll be able to slow down and fully relax, completely; to be able to breathe again, all because she had great friends to lean on. Hopefully, with time, she would learn not to be afraid anymore.

"It's late," Harry said, after a while. "I think it would be best if you at least _try_ to get some sleep."

Hermione yawned as she stood up. "Yeah…goodnight….and thanks again, Harry."

Harry pulled her into a short hug. "Night," he said, before walking to the door. He gave her a small smile before slipping into the hallway.

Hermione crossed over to the bed, pulled back the covers and climbed inside. It had been months since she had slept in a real bed and, right now, this bed was the most comfortable thing she'd felt.

Hermione let herself slip into her thoughts. One of the only things Hermione could hope for right now was that she, Harry and Ron would make it through this war. She hoped that she'll soon be able to let her walls come down.

To stop for a moment, relax, to breathe again, and it would be mostly because of Harry and this conversation. She was lucky to have a friend like him.

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AN: So that's that, I hope you liked it(: And leave a review, would you? I think I got the mood of the song right….

Please don't favorite without reviewing? Please, I would just like to know what you thought about it and if you favorite it you must have liked something…right?


	3. Silence

The rain fell from the cold, black sky and was beating down on the canvas of the tent. Hermione had always liked the sound of the rain, but in that moment, it was making her feel sick. The rain sounded like sinister applause to the drama unfolding inside the tent.

"We thought you knew what you were doing!" Ron shouted, jumping to his feet. Hermione had never heard him yell like this before – it sounded like pure hatred was pouring from his mouth. She also never had seen him act like this before and she didn't know what to make of it. "We thought Dumbledore had told you what to do. We thought you had had a real plan!"

Hermione couldn't take it any longer. She couldn't deal with this anymore. "Ron!" she called over the ever growing sound of the rain.

"Leave then, if you want to, I don't care," Harry said, ignoring Hermione as he stared at Ron.

An eerie silence washed over between them. Something had come between Harry and Ron and Hermione was scared; truly afraid of what would come next. It was just too quiet now and the silence was awkward and unnerving.

"Leave the Horcrux," Harry said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Ron pulled the Horcrux over his head and flung it at the chair. It landed with a small thud.

Hermione's head was spinning, Ron couldn't be leaving; he just couldn't be.

"Are you staying or what?"

It took Hermione a minute to realize that Ron was talking to her. She slowly glanced towards him. As much as she didn't want to, she couldn't stop herself from looking into his eyes. But they weren't _his_ eyes. Instead of being calm and comforting, like they normally were, they were dark with anger.

_That's not Ron. It can't be. _

He was asking her to choose. She had a decision to make, to stay or to go. Her brain was screaming for her to stay and help Harry because that's what she had promised and she always kept her promises; but a small part of her heart was telling her to go with Ron – because even though she wouldn't admit to herself, she loved him.

"I…" Hermione paused. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before continuing. "Yes, I'm staying."

It was the right thing to do. Harry needed them, both of them. What did Ron think? That if he left everything would just stop? That the war would end? That everything would just go back to normal? Harry was her best friend, she couldn't just leave him.

"Ron we said we'd help—"she started again.

"I get it," he said suddenly, cutting her off. "You choose him." Ron had picked up his rucksack and was now walking through the tent entrance.

Hermione waved away the shield charms and ran after him, screaming and begging for him to come back. She hurried after him, slipping through the wet mud. It was useless, but she couldn't give up, she wouldn't allow herself to give up.

"Ron!" she half screamed, half cried. She hadn't realized that she had started to cry. "Ron, come back!"

She stared off into the night after his retreating back and gave up hope. There was no point; nothing she could do would make him stay.

She watched as he disappeared as he apparated to Godric-knows-where and fell to her knees in the wet mud. She let the tears come freely now and let her sobs rack her bodies.

"Ron," she said, barely above a whisper.

_He's gone and he's not coming back. _The voice inside her head was screaming at her, but a small part of her refused to believe it.

It felt like centuries later that she heard footsteps walking near her, but she didn't bother looking up. She couldn't find the strength to raise her head, but she knew it was Harry.

She heard the familiar voice of her best friend murmuring spells and enchantments, recasting the shield charms that she'd waved away when she ran after Ron.

She felt strong and comforting arms wrap around her and pull her to her feet. She let herself lean against Harry's side as he led her back to the tent.

They sat down on a cot and Hermione felt herself leaning against Harry's shoulder. "He's not coming back, is he?"

Harry wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulder and started rubbing soothing circles on her arm. "I don't know," he answered truthfully.

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to slow her tears. She shouldn't allow herself to cry over Ronald, but he always got under her skin – one way or another.

"I can't say that it'll be okay," Harry started. "Because I don't know that. But I do know that I'll try my best to keep you safe."

A comfortable silence washed over the two of them, as they sat there. Even with the war raging on around them and Ron storming off; Hermione felt happy that she at least still had Harry for now.

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AN: So another one set in Deathly Hallows with Harry comforting Hermione, I'm just going through the same patterns, I guess… don't know how I feel about this one. Leave a review and tell me what you thought?


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